Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

How To Analyze Parental Conversation Online: A Computational Stack For Studying Vaccine Hesitancy., Carter Willets Ward

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Despite national and international organizations such as the CDC and WHO recognizing the value of vaccines and their importance in addressing public health concerns, there has been a decline in coverage for even the most established vaccines over the past three years. The global COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to this decline via decreases in medical resource accessibility and an increase in vaccine hesitancy. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO had recognized vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten threats to public health. In the present work, we introduce a background account of (1) vaccine hesitancy and (2) anti-vax activism, …

A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Predictive Ability Of Pregnancy Intention On Postpartum Contraceptive Use Using The Vermont Phase 8 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (Prams), Hailey Virginia Cray, Jennifer Burroughs Dvm, Mykayla O'Brien, Barbara Walter, Lindsay Aldrich

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objectives:

a) To determine if pregnancy intention predicts postpartum contraception use among women with live births in Vermont.

b) To encourage the ongoing education of sexually active individuals in best practices to reduce unintended pregnancy.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted using data from the 2016-2018 Vermont Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (n=3753 women with a live birth), using frequency tables, crosstabulations, and simple logistic regression.

Results: Of 2,493 responses received for the 2016-18 PRAMS questionnaire, 67.5% indicated that their pregnancy had been intended, and 32.5% indicated that their pregnancy had not been intended or that they were not …

Community Health Interventions To Reduce The Burden Of Radon-Related Lung Cancer, Benjamin Weaver

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. One in seven homes in Vermont has elevated levels of radon, but most patients are unaware of radon as a risk factor for lung cancer or that radon testing and mitigation services are available to them. To promote increased testing and mitigation of radon we screened patients presenting to a Family Medicine practice in Vermont about whether they had had these services done in their home. We also developed a patient education resource for providers to give to patients who had more questions about radon …

Evaluating Patient And Provider Knowledge Of Safe Pharmaceutical Disposal Procedures In Vermont Through A Public Health And Environmental Lens, Emily R. Straley

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Patient and provider knowledge of safe pharmaceutical disposal procedures is crucial from both a public health and environmental standpoint. Unfortunately, studies have shown that Vermont residents are largely unaware of safe drug disposal programs in their communities. This project evaluated patient knowledge of drug disposal practices and awareness of safe pharmaceutical disposal procedures at Hinesburg Family Medicine. A short phrase was created to better disseminate information about safe drug disposal in Hinesburg, which can be added to a patient’s after visit summary. Many patients report never discussing medication disposal with their physician. Therefore, increased provider communication regarding leftover and unused …

Addressing Adolescent And Young Adult Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Megan Boyer

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This quality improvement project at South Burlington Family Medicine aimed to investigate the mental health of individuals ages 13-25 in our practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible patients received a PHQ-9 questionnaire with two additional questions related to COVID-19. Recommendations for future interventions to serve this population were made based on these preliminary findings, with the goal of doing a full PDSA cycle in the near future.

Referral Patterns And Service Provision In Child Protective Services: Child, Caregiver, And Case Predictors, Hannah Mead Holbrook

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Child maltreatment, and recurrent maltreatment in particular, occurs at an alarmingly high rate. Frequency of reports to Child Protective Services (CPS) is associated with negative psychological outcomes, and children whose reports are unsubstantiated experience similar risk of behavioral, emotional, and substance use disorders as those whose reports are substantiated. Prior research has demonstrated that children with no CPS reports and children with one CPS report showed no significant differences in rates of maltreatment perpetration or substance use in adulthood, suggesting that prevention efforts after one report may have strong merit in reducing negative outcomes in adulthood. However, patterns and risk …

Quality Improvement: Cervical Cancer Screening Rates Within Hudson Headwaters Health Network, Dylon K. Gookin

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Nearly 8 out of every 100,000 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. However, powerful screening tools exist that enable us to detect and manage cervical changes before they develop into cervical cancer. In spite of this, cervical cancer screening rates remain low for many providers. This public health project sought to identify and address a cause for low cervical cancer screening rates within the Hudson Headwaters Health Network. A literature review determined that education and mailed invitation letters were proven methods for improving cervical cancer screening rates. Following a review of the local population demographics, West Mountain Health …

Combating Diabetes In Chittenden County: A Healthcare Provider Referral Campaign To Increase Patient Participation In The Vermont Diabetes Prevention Program, Samantha Magier

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

As of 2016, diabetes affects more than 29 million people in the United States and is the 7th leading cause of death nationwide. In Vermont, 1/10 people are diagnosed with either diabetes or prediabetes, with 6% of Vermonters affected by prediabetes and 5% of Chittenden Country affected by prediabetes. The public health burden of this chronic disease is immense: diabetes costs Vermont an estimated $543 million each year and is the leading cause of kidney failure, lower limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness. Prediabetes occurs when blood sugar is higher than normal but not at the diagnostic threshold of diabetes. Prediabetes …

Vermont Food Insecurity: Implementing Screening Tools And Interventional Assistance At Thomas Chittenden Health Center, Quinn Self

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Hunger Free Vermont estimates that over 11% of Vermonters experience Food insecurity defined as a lack or access to adequate nutritious food due to lack of money or other resources. Food insecurity has been linked with numerous health problems including obesity, depression, poor school performance, heart disease, anemia and increased number of hospitalizations. Despite the adverse health outcomes associated with food insecurity, primary care providers don't usually screen for it. There are short validate tools to screen with high sensitivity and specificity for food insecurity. The goal of this project was to generate a screening poster for waiting rooms and …

Adolescent Sex Education, Carolyn Payne

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project identified a significant need for adolescent sex education and curriculum development in Vermont and the United States. A comprehensive sex education presentation was developed, reviewed by experts in the field, and piloted at The Boys and Girls Club of Burlington. Subjective results were positive and future strategies to teach students, evaluate effectiveness, and expand impact were developed.

Improving Community Health With Affordable Internet Access, Joshua Jeremy Pothen

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Internet access is associated with increases in health information seeking and benefits in health statuses. However, many individuals of low socioeconomic status (SES) lack Internet access, thereby creating significant disadvantages from a health perspective. In this project, we describe a potential project for providing affordable Internet access to a neighborhood of Newport, VT containing many SES individuals. This network includes a splash page that provides regular health event promotion and health information dissemination to everyone connecting the network. We then discuss how to determine the impacts of the Internet on multiple aspects of health within the community.